Milford Teen Has Aspirations Of Being A USMC 16U National Champion

MILFORD, CT – At 15, Kayla Batres has had a decorated wrestling career by winning many tournaments, but now, she wants to add a USMC Championship to her resume.

The US Marine Corps (USMC) 16U and 18U freestyle Nationals is the premier tournament in the United States for wrestling in Fargo, North Dakota.

"USMC is one of the premier tournaments for all high schools all over the country," Eli Batres, Kayla's Father, said.

To be able to go to Fargo, Kayla Batres has organized a gofundme campaign to help her achieve her goal of wrestling in the USMC Championship.

The goal is to raise $3,000; $1,605 has been raised since Friday, April 21.

"I want to at least try and place first at this tournament because I want to show people who have never noticed that I can be the best," she said.

Batres is a Connecticut National Wrestling team member, but wrestling wasn't always the first choice of combat sports for Batres. At seven years old, Batres was training in Jujitsu.

"I started wrestling because I needed to practice my Jujitsu takedowns," she said. "When I was nine years old, I wrestled more."

Batres said the self-defense aspect of the sport got her interested in Jujitsu.

"When I switched to wrestling, I felt ready and wanted to do the sport," she said. "Wrestling felt more like a challenge."

Eli Batres, Kayla's father, said when Kayla went to her first wrestling class, she was the only girl in the room.

"It was a bit scary at first, but I wanted to show them I could wrestle too, not just boys," she said

When Batres first started training in wrestling, she said it was a little more challenging because wrestling focuses more on cardio than Jujitsu.

"When I first started, I had to remind myself not to lie flat on my back because I could do it in Jujitsu, but in wrestling, it's a pin," she said

As Batres gained more and more experience, she's gone on to win many tournaments and received many awards, including four national championships, 10 all-American awards, the 2023 Girls New England Champion and the 2023 Connecticut boys co-ed state champion.

"King of the East Champion is the tournament that means the most to me," she said. "There wasn't a girl's bracket at the tournament, and I won. There were some tough boys there, but I beat them."

Batres also gives back to the community by being a wrestling instructor for the four-to-six-year-old group at South Side Wrestling Club in Bridgeport.

"I like helping the kids get better," she said. "They are cute, but when they come to class, they are there to learn and have fun.